Beet harvester with topper



Nov. 11,1947. w. G. BRIGGS BEET HAR-VESTER WITH TOPPER Fned'oc't. 17. 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 n ""7 w. G. BRlGGs BEET HARVESTER WITH TOFPER 5 sheets-sheet 2 filed oct. 17.

annua MEL-4p Nov. 119 W. G. l `BERT HARVESTER wrTlH TOPPER 5 sheets-sheet s4 Filed Oct. 17,. 1944 Nam M, 194?. W, G. BRK-36S 2,430,665

BEET HARVESTER WITH TOPPER Filed oct. 17. 1944 5 sheets-sheet a4 NM mi T947. w. G. @mees 29430965 BEET HARVESTER WITH TOPPER Filed Oct. 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 k l@ Illlllll is um Q gx fb VM: j 'agi- Patented Nov. il, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICE BEET HARVESTER WITH TOPPER Walter G. Briggs, Ault, Colo.

Application October 17, 1944, Serial No. 558,991

(cl. rss- 107) 1 Claim. i

This invention relates to agricultural machines and more particularly to a beet harvester, it being one object of the invention to provide a harvester by means of which beets may be topped,A the tops being delivered from the harvester onto the ground at a side of the harvester.

Another object oi' the invention is to provide a harvester having the topper so constructed that it may be adjusted to cut the tops with minimum loss of the beet root and the tops carried upwardly from the topping mechanism and delivered from the harvester at a side thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beet harvester which is simple in construction, very emcient in operation, and very sturdy.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation oi' the improved beet harvester,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved beet harvester.

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the opposite side oi the machine from that shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line i-t of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line B--E of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a view looking down upon the topping mechanism.

. Fig. 7 is a side view of the 'topping mechanism.

This improved beet harvester has a frame, indicated in general by the numeral l, supported at its front end by wheels 2 carried by an axle 3, the rear end of the frame being `supported by wheels 5 carried by an axle The usual draft bar i is provided at the front of the frame in order that it may be hitched back of a tractor. A ba;` 8 extends transversely of the frame adjacent the front end thereof and carries beams 9 which are pivoted to brackets ill carried by the bar. The beams 9 carry forks li to which are secured side bars i2 formed of angle metal, and each set of forks has secured between them the shank i3 of a blade it by means of which beet tops are to be severed from the beet roots. These blades extend diagonally so that as the machine is drawn across a eld longitudinally of rows of beets, the blades will have slicing engagement with the beet roots and slice through the roots. The beet roots should be cut close to the tops so that waste. due to improper cutting will be reduced to a minimum. In order to do so, there have been provided guides or gauges located in advance oi the knives and each having a shank or handle Iii to the rear end of which is fixed a The cross bar or head it carrying nngers il. shanks i5 are carried by the cross bar t in trans- .verse spaced relation to beams t so that the gauges are disposed directly in iront oi' the knives It and ride across the beet crowns before the knives reach the roots. Links I8 connect ends of thecross heads i3 with brackets I8 carried by the bars i2 and are slotted, as shown at 20 in Fig. "I, so that restricted independent movement of the gauges with respect to the beams 9 will be permitted.

Rods 2i extend upwardly and rearwardly from the links i8, with their upper portions passing through openings in the bars I2, and these rods carry springs 22 to yieldably resist upward movement of the links and gauges relative to the beams '9. Due to this construction, the beams will follow vertical movements of the gauges as the gauges pass over the beet crowns'and the knives will be caused to slice through the roots close to the beet tops and only a small portion of the roots will remain attached to the tops. Violent jars are prevented when the fingers of the gauge strike a beet root since the links may shift upwardly and compress the springs 22. The cutters must be suspended from the ground and, in order` to do so, there has been provided a rocker shaft 23 which is rotatably mounted transversely of the frame and carries arms 2d which project forwardly therefrom and are connected with the forks ii of beams il by chains 2t having their lower ends secured to the forks li of the beams by bolts or vpins 25. A latch lever Zi is carried by the rocker shaft 23 in order that the shaft may be turned to raise or lower the cutting mechanism and when the latch of this lever is engaged with the rack 2t, the cutting mechanism will be held in the adjusted position. AWhile two topping mechanisms have been shown in the machine illustrating the invention, and also two digging mechanisms which will be hereinafter described, it will be understood that the machine may be constructed to gather beetsv from three or more rows at a time, instead of two rows, or the machine can be designed to remove beets from a single row.`

Back of the topping mechanism is an elevating conveyor 29 having cross slats carried by two endless chains trained about sprockets 30 and 3i at upper and lower ends of a conveyor frame indicated in general by the numeral 32. The shaft 38 carrying the upper sprockets 30 is rotatably mounted in bearing brackets 3i at opposite sides of the main frame i, and this shaft carries albevcled gear 35 meshing with a beveled gear 36 upon a transmission shaft 3l which is rotatably carried by a bracket 38 and, at its front end carries a sprocket wheel 39. A sprocket chain t0 is trained about sprocket wheel 39 and also about a sprocket wheel @l carried by a drive shaft extending longitudinally of the main frame at one side thereof. This shaft 42 is rotatably mounted in brackets 4I projecting laterally from the main frame and, at its front end. is connected with a power take-off shaft 44 by a joint 4B. it being understood that the shaft 44 receives rotary motion from the tractor used for drawing the harvester across a field. The lower forward portion of the conveyor is connected with the arms 24 of shaft 28 by chains 4I so that this end of the conveyor will be vertically adjusted with the cutting mechanism and retained in such relation .thereto that beet tops out bythe knives will be engaged by prongs of the conveyor slats and canied upwardly and rearwardly along the conveyor. Rods 41 extend upwardly from opposite sides ofthe conveyor frame and areslidably engaged through eyes 4l at sides of the main frame. springs 4l being provided about the rods 41 to yieldably resist upward movement of the conveyor. When the beet tops reach the upper end of the elevating conveyor they are dropped therefrom onto a discharging conveyor l whichextends transversely of the main frame back of the lifting conveyor 28. Motion is imparted to the belt of conveyor l0 by a sprocket chain Il trained about sprocket wheels 52 carabout sprocket wheels 1i and l2 carried by shafts I8 and 42 respectively.

A rocker shaft 1I is rotatably mounted across the main frame over `forward portions of the conveyors 02 and carries"arms 14 which are connected with frames of these conveyors by links or rods 18 so that when the shaft 1I is turned.

ried by the shaft 42 and the shaft for one roller f as the harvester is moved across a field, the beet tops will be dropped upon the ground where they are allowed to dry and cure and are then removed and used as feed for livestock.

After the tops have been removed from the roots and disposed of, the roots are to be dus from the ground. To accomplish this, there have been provided digging blades B3 arranged in pairs back of the topping knives. These digging blades are carried lby beams 54 pivoted to a cross bar 55 extending across the main frame back of the discharge conveyor 50 and, in order to vertically adjust the blades so that they enter the ground a predetermined depth, there has been provided a rocker shaft l0 extending across the main frame and carrying forwardly projecting arms Il which are connected with the beams B4 by links or rods Il. so that when the shaft li is turned through the medium of its latch lever 59, the blades or shovels will be raised or lowered. according to the direction in which the shaft is turned. and held in adjusted position when the latch of the lever is engaged with the rack 60. The companion blades or shovels converge rearwardly so that beet roots lifted from the ground will move rearwardly between the blades and. at their rear ends, the blades carry rods or fingers Il which are of such resiliency that they will serve as shakers and assist in removing dirt from the beets. They also lift beets out of the ground.

After the beets have been lifted from the ground and freed of dirt, they pass frointhe digging mechanism to elevating conveyors I2. These conveyors extend rearwardly at an upward incline and each has s frame i3 extending rearwardly at an upward incline over the shaft or axle 8 carrying the rear wheels of the main frame. Each elevating conveyor I2 also includes an endless chain I4 of the potato type trained about upper sprockets and lower sprockets Il and 08, the upper sprockets being carried by. a shaft l1 which pivotally mounts the conveyor frames and is rotated from shaft 42 through the medium of a transmission shaft geared to shaft l1 by bevelled gears il and driven from shaft 42 by a sprocket chain 1l. which sprocket chain is trained the elevating conveyors will be tilted and their lower front end s disposed in proper relation to the blades 53 to receive beets therefrom. Shaft 13 is turned by means of a latch lever 'Il and when its latch is engaed with the rack 11, the conveyors l2 will be held in adjusted position.

When the beets drop from the digging blades onto the conveyors i2 they are carried upwardly and pass from rear ends of these conveyors onto a transversely extending transfer conveyor "I8 which has an endless chain Il trained about rollers at ends of its frame. The roller at one end of the conveyor frame is carried by a shaft It driven from shaft 42 by a sprocket chain' ll trained about sprocket wheels on the shafts, and from an inspection of Fig. 2, it will be seen that when the beets reach this end of the transfer conveyor 'Il they will be delivered onto the lower inner end of a discharge conveyor 82. The discharge conveyor l2 extends outwardly from the side of the main frame at an upward incline and its outer end is at such distance above the ground that a wagon may be disposed under it to receive beets instead of allowing them to drop to the ground. The frame of the discharge conveyor 82 is firmly secured to the main frame of the harvester in any desired manner and the endless belt of this conveyor is trained about rollers at inner and outer ends of the frame. The roller at the outer or upper end of conveyor B2 is carried by a shaft I3 which projects laterally from the frame of the conveyor and carries a sprocket wheel 84 for engagement by a sprocket chain 85 extending longitudinally of the conveyor and having its lower or inner end portion trained about a sprocket wheel 8l carried by shaft 42. It will thus be seen that all of the conveyors have their endless belts driven from shaft 42 which, in turn, is driven from the power take-oli' of a tractor. A harvester so constructed is very eflicient and effective in operation as it can be drawn across a field behind a tractor and, as it moves forwardly, beets will be topped, then lifted from the ground, and delivered to the elevating conveyors which discharge them onto the transversely extending conveyor so that they will be carriedtoward a side of the harvester and delivered to the upwardly and outwardly extending discharge conveyor from which they drop into a wagon accompanying the harvester. As the tops are cut from the beet roots they are taken up by the elevating conveyor I2 which delivers them onto the discharge conveyor l0 so that they will be moved toward the side of the harvester and discharged onto the ground where they are allowed to cure before being removed for use as stock feed.

While it has been stated that the harvester is hitched back of a tractor and the drive shaft at one side thereof connected with the power takeoff of the tractor, it will be understood that this harvester may be built and mounted directly on a tractor having sufficient power and with good clearance under the motor, this arrangement allowing short turns to be made at ends of beet rows:4

Having thusdescribed the invention, what is.

' claimed is:

A beet harvester comprising a main frame, topping means carried by said frame for cutting tops from beet roots including a beam extending 1ongitudinally of said frame and pivoted at its front end for vertical swinging movement, a blade hav- .ing a shank carried by and deending from said beam, adjusting means carried by said frame and 5 connected with said beam for shifting the beam and the blade to adjusted position, a side bar carried by said beam and extending from one side thereof, a gauge having a handle extending 1ongitudinally of said frame in transverse spaced-relation to a side of the beam, a cross head at the rear end of said handle, fingers carried by said cross head and extending rearwardly toward said blade, links carried by said cross head and slidably engaged with said side bar, rods carried by 15 said links and slidably passing through the side bar, springs about said rods yieldably resisting upward movement of the links and the handle, and conveyor means carried by said frame back of the'topping means for receiving tops cut from 20 beet roots.

WALTER G. BRIGGS.

REFERENCES CITED The vfollowing references are v0i' record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

